Daily Prelims Notes 2 March 2021

March 2, 2021
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

2 March 2021

By

Santosh Sir

All 6 Prelims qualified

4 CSE Mains qualified

If I can do it, you can too

Table Of Contents

1. National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC)

Subject: Security

Context: A US cyber security firm said there was steep rise in the use of malware by a Chinese group called Red Echo to target India’s power sector organisations in 2020 when tension between India-China was high. The Centre confirmed it after NCIIPC informed it and said there was no data loss.

Concept:

Earlier the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) on November 19, 2020, informed the govt on the threat of a malware called Shadow Pad at some control centres of POSOCO (Power System Operation Corporation Ltd). T was later confirmed by NCIIPC.
It is nodal agency to safeguard critical computer resources.
Under Section 70A(1) of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act 2008 it has been designated for taking all measures including associated Research and Development for the protection of CIIs (Critical Information Infrastructure) in India.
NCIIPC is driven by its mission to take all necessary measures to facilitate protection of Critical Information Infrastructure.
It is a unit of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) and is based in New Delhi.
NCIIPC protect and deliver advice that aims to reduce the vulnerabilities of critical information infrastructure, against cyber terrorism, cyber warfare and other threats.
Identification of all critical information infrastructure elements for approval by the appropriate Government for notifying the same.
Provide strategic leadership and coherence across Government to respond to cyber security threats against the identified critical information infrastructure

Critical information Infrastructure

Information Infrastructure is the term usually used to describe the totality of inter-connected computers and networks, and information flowing through them
Certain part of information infrastructure is dedicated for management / control etc. of infrastructure providers’ e.g. Power generation, Gas/oil pipelines, or support our economy or national fabric e.g. Banking / Telecom etc., and its failure or outage on our National well-being or National Security marks them as being Critical.
Information infrastructure supporting the operations of Critical Infrastructure (CI) designate such infrastructure as Critical Information infrastructure (CII).
IT Act, 2000: “Critical Information Infrastructure means the computer resource, the incapacitation or destruction of which, shall have debilitating impact on national security, economy, public health or safety”.

NCIIPC has broadly identified the following as ‘Critical Sectors’:-

Power & Energy
Banking, Financial Services & Insurance
Telecom
Transport
Government
Strategic & Public Enterprises

2. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)

Subject: Polity

Context: The Union minister addressed governing council of the BIS yesterday. He urged government departments and public sector undertakings (PSUs) to abide only by Indian standards in procurement processes

Concept:

It is the National Standard Body of India established under the BIS Act 2016 for the harmonious development of the activities of standardization, marking and quality certification of goods and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
It works under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
The Minister in charge of the Ministry or Department having administrative control of the BIS is the ex-officio President of the BIS.
It is one of the founder member of International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
It seeks to provide safe reliable quality goods, minimizing health hazards to consumers, promoting exports and imports substitute, control over proliferation of varieties etc. through standardization, certification and testing.
BIS has its Headquarters at New Delhi and its 05 Regional Offices (ROs) are at Kolkata (Eastern), Chennai (Southern), Mumbai (Western), Chandigarh (Northern) and Delhi (Central).

3. Reservation of seats in Local government

Subject: Polity

Context: The Goa bench of the Bombay HC directed state to rectify irregularities in reservation of wards for municipal elections.

Concept:

73^rd Constitutional amendment act provides for reservation for the SCs, STs in Panchayats (at three levels) in proportion to their population as mandatory provision.
It also provides for reservation of chairpersons posts for SCs and the STs by the state legislature.
The act provides for not less than 1/3^rd of the seats in Panchayat at three levels to be reserved for women (including SCs and STs seats). Similarly, not less than 1/3^rd seats to be reserved for women for chairpersons at all levels.
It empowers the state legislature for providing reservation in Panchayats to backward classes.
Similar provision for reservation exists in 74^th amendment act in case of municipalities.
Art 243 D provides for reservation at the level of Panchayats.
Art 243 T provides for reservation at the level of municipalities.

4. CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team)

Subject: Security

Context: Cyfirma, a cyber intelligence firms said that the Chinese hacking group has been targeting Indian vaccine.

Concept:

CERT-In (the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) is a government-mandated information technology (IT) security organization created in 2004.
The purpose of CERT-In is to respond to computer security incidents, report on vulnerabilities and promote effective IT security practices throughout the country.
According to the provisions of the Information Technology Amendment Act 2008, CERT-In is responsible for overseeing administration of the Act.
CERT-In has been designated to serve as the national agency to perform the following functions in the area of cyber security:

Collection, analysis and dissemination of information on cyber incidents.
Forecast and alerts of cyber security incidents
Emergency measures for handling cyber security incidents
Coordination of cyber incident response activities.
Issue guidelines, advisories, vulnerability notes and whitepapers relating to information security practices, procedures, prevention, response and reporting of cyber incidents.
Such other functions relating to cyber security as may be prescribed.

5. Contraindication

Subject: Science and technology

Context: Second phase of vaccination with the target group of over 60 years and over 45 years with comorbidities started from March 1^st.

Concept:

Over 45 and with co-morbidities

The Health Ministry fact sheet says the vaccine cannot be given to three categories:

persons with a history of an allergic reaction to a previous dose of Covid-19 vaccine;
those with an allergic reaction to vaccines or injectable therapies, pharmaceutical products, and food items;
pregnant and lactating women, and women who are not sure of their pregnancy.

About contraindication

It is a condition that serves as a reason to not take a certain medical treatment due to the harm that it would cause the patient. For Covid-19 vaccination three category of temporary contraindication has been issued:

persons having active symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection
Covid-19 patients who have been given anti-SARS-Cov-2 monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma
acutely unwell and hospitalized — with or without intensive care — patients due to “any illness

6. Gap between Vaccine doses

Subject: Science and Technology

Context: In India’s vaccination programme, the prescribed interval between the two doses of Covishield is 28 days. Whereas various international findings have put this gap to be of up to 3 months.

Concept:

The second dose of Covid vaccine in India started on February 13 for those who had completed 28 days after the first dose.
The WHO’s advisory group SAGE on February 10 suggested an 8-12-week interval between doses.
The Lancet published results of a study that showed a three-month interval between doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine results in higher efficacy than with a six-week interval, with the first dose offering 76% protection in the three months between doses.
Overall evidence across the world shows there is 20% to 30% greater efficacy by stretching the interval between two doses

7. Uighur

Subject: International relations

Context: China has launched an unprecedented and aggressive campaign to push back, including explicit attacks on women who have made claims of abuse for its handling of Uighurs.

Concept:

The Uighurs are Muslim ethnic community which speak a language close to Turkish, and are culturally and ethnically closer to Central Asia than the rest of China live in Xinjiang, the largest and most western of China’s administrative regions.
Till recently, they were the majority in Xinjiang, but massive registered and unregistered settlements of Han Chinese and heavy troop deployments have likely changed that situation.
Besides ethnicity and cultural dissonance, tensions are seen as rooted also in economic factors — as China’s development has lifted cities like Kashgar and Urumqi, young, qualified Han Chinese from eastern regions have come to Xinjiang, taking the most lucrative jobs and triggering resentment among the indigenous population.
In Beijing’s official narrative, much of the Uighur terrorist violence is carried out by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a group that seeks to establish an independent East Turkestan state in China.
China has been criticized at different forums for violation of Human rights of Uighur population.

8. WTO gets new Director General

Subject: International Organizations

Context: New DG Ngozi Okonjo-Iwewala, a Nigerian-American economist, took over the charge of WTO.

Concept:

She is the first woman chief of the WTO. She is also the first African to hold the office of WTO as its director-general.

About WTO

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations.
The WTO started functioning on 1 January 1995 as the successor body of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) which was in place since 1948.
WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the world’s trading nations and ratified in their parliaments are the driver of WTO-based framework.
All major decisions are made by the WTO’s member governments: either by ministers (who usually meet at least every two years) or by their ambassadors or delegates (who meet regularly in Geneva).
The WTO’s top decision-making body is the Ministerial Conference (usually takes place every two years).
Below this is the General Council (day to day decision making body) and various other councils and committees.
The WTO has over 164 members representing 98 per cent of world trade.
Ordinarily, decisions are made by consensus in the WTO. Most recent member is Afghanistan (2016).
Last ministerial conference was in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2017 and is supposed to be held in Kazakhsthan in 2021.
WTO also has a Dispute Settlement Framework in place to resolve disputes between nations.

9. Coal Bed Methane (CBM)

Subject: Environment

Context: Need for move away from fossil driven energy economy to the cleaner renewable source along with India’s continuing dependence on coal for energy needs necessitate focus on “Clean Coal Technology”. Coal Bed Methane, or CBM is seen as one of the alternatives.

Concept:

CBM is an unconventional natural gas that occurs in coal beds in adsorbed form during coalification process (transformation of plant material into coal) and is rich in methane content.
It can be used for power generation, running internal combustion engines and as domestic fuel on commercial lines. Focus on exploration will also push additional scope for increased employment and state revenues.
With fifth-largest coal reserves in the world India has huge potential (Gondwana sediments of eastern India holding the bulk potential; Damodar Koel valley and Son valley are major regions). Its CBM resources are estimated at 92 trillion cubic feet (TCF).

Challenges

Methane is 25 times more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
It has huge challenges for soil and ecosystem of the region.
Water discharges from CBM development could pollute downstream water sources
It also poses safety challenge in underground coal mines (proper ventilations is needed for workplace and carrying out mining operations).

India’s Policy so far

In order to harness CBM potential in the country, the Government of India formulated CBM policy in 1997 wherein CBM being Natural Gas is explored and exploited under the provisions of OIL Fields (Regulation & Development) Act 1948 (ORD Act 1948) and Petroleum & Natural Gas Rules 1959 (P&NG Rules 1959) administered by Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MOP&NG) and the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) was made the nodal agency for development of CBM in the country
Both Petroleum and Coal Ministries were jointly made responsible for developing the resource.
Delineation of CBM blocks was to be done only in consultation with the Coal Ministry.
The Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Ltd (CMPDIL), a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd (CIL), was made the nodal agency for delineating CBM blocks.
By 2019 there were only 4 operational blocks with exploration much below potential as only 1.87 mmscmd (million metric standard cubic meter per day) of CBM production (Australia started at same time with 109 mmscmd production)
Two major reforms: 1) Public sector coal companies were permitted to explore and extract CBM from the leasehold areas held by them without seeking separate lease for gas extraction. 2) Freedom to fix the price and sale of gas was extended by the government to all operators of CBM.

10. PM KUSUM

Subject: Welfare schemes

Context: The Centre modified the scheme and will now provide 30 per cent of the cost of building a small solar plant (70% cost borne by state DISCOMS) to supply electricity to the agricultural feeder, which essentially supplies electricity to all the pumps in a village.

Concept:

Three components of PM-KUSUM

10,000 megawatts (MW) of decentralised ground mounted grid-connected renewable power plants (Component-A);
Installation of 17.50 lakh standalone solar powered agriculture pumps (Component-B); and
solarisation of 10 lakh grid-connected solar powered agriculture pumps (Component-C).

About modification in scheme:

The modification aims at focus on solarizing agricultural feeders instead of pumps, which was focus so far and changes component 3.
Currently, under the scheme farmers were being provided 30 per cent subsidy from the Centre and another 30 per cent from their State government (40% by farmers) to replace their existing grid connected agricultural pumps with grid connected solar pumps.
Farmers were not incentivized under it as agriculture supplied to agriculture gets subsidy already.
In current change it is expected that the DISCOMS will see fall in procurement cost from current Rs 6 per unit to Rs 2 per unit for solar power and hence retrieve the investment in 4-5 years.
Or for remaining 70% cost the state can avail loans from NABARD or they can even launch tenders for these proposed solar plants and sign PPAs with winning developers

11. Taper tantrum

Subject: Economy

Context: With the yield on the 10-year US Treasury momentarily surging past 1.6 per cent the reaction of market across the world revived the memory of “taper tantrum” of 2013 (when the term originated).

Concept:

Taper tantrum refers to the 2013 collective reactionary panic that triggered a spike in U.S. Treasury yields, after investors learned that the Federal Reserve was slowly putting the breaks on its quantitative easing (QE) (large purchases of bonds and other securities – Increases liquidity) program.
Tightening of monetary policy through tapering led to Dollar supply reduction, capital outflows from emerging economies and exchange rate becoming weak (currency depreciation).
Capital outflow is because when yields on the ultra-safe US treasuries rise, investors have reduced incentive to invest in riskier assets such as equity.
This led to a surge in inflation to high double digits emerging economies.
In 2013 it created the fear that the market would crumble, as the result of the cessation of QE (however nothing of that sort happened).
Generally, this tapering is short-lived.

Possible implications of current tapering Tantrum

This time, the markets are overvalued and investors fear that the yield spike can become the trigger for an extended market correction
Existing investors may need to brace for a de-rating of stock valuations, new ones can perhaps look forward to a buying opportunity.
A rise in bond yields may, however, be good for investors in small savings schemes and the GOI Floating Rate Bonds, where rates are linked to government bond yields and are reset periodically.
those invested in debt mutual funds (especially longer duration ones) and listed bonds may have to brace themselves for more mark-to-market losses if yields continue to harden.